Governor Jon S. Corzine

INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP SUBMITS THIRD REPORT ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

TRENTON

– The Interagency Working Group on School Construction today presented its third report on the state’s school construction program to Governor Jon S. Corzine. The report includes recommendations for a project prioritization methodology as well as $2.5 billion in new funding for Abbott Districts and $750 million in new funding for Regular Operating Districts.
“This report is an important step in ensuring that our education system has the necessary infrastructure to provide our children with a first-rate education,� said Governor Corzine. “I look forward to reviewing the report and working with all stakeholders to make sure that the school construction process addresses the educational needs of our state in a fair, equitable and effective manner."

According to the report, projects should be prioritized primarily on the basis of educational criteria. The educational criteria proposed to determine the ranking are health and safety concerns, early childhood centers, overcrowded schools with early childhood capacity, overcrowded schools without early childhood capacity, and projects that address neither overcrowding nor early childhood capacity. Furthermore, the creation of three categories of health and safety projects was recommended to better identify and address the critical needs of districts.

The Working Group recommended that logistical criteria – including land status, project schedules, and costs incurred to date – be considered as secondary factors in determining funding priority. The Working Group's Prioritization Task Force, which included representatives of the key stakeholders, worked to develop a project prioritization methodology that reflects the educational goals set forth in past Abbott rulings and the Education Facilities and Construction Financing Act (EFCFA).

“The work of the Prioritization Task Force was vital in developing a methodology for utilizing current resources, while laying the groundwork for implementing a workable strategy for the school construction program moving forward,� said Barry Zubrow, School Construction Corporation (SCC) chairman and a member of the Interagency Working Group. “This prioritization methodology is extremely important in order to properly apply the recommended additional funding."

To meet the previously proposed condition that any new funding for school facilities projects be contingent upon the SCC demonstrating adequate management capacity, the Working Group reported a series of SCC reforms. These include filing several key management positions, establishing a new division to institutionalize program and project management functions, and working more closely with stakeholders.

“The recommendations of the Interagency Working Group underscore the tremendous strides made by the SCC to improve project and programmatic management,� said Scott Weiner, transitional CEO of the SCC as well as the Governor’s Special Counsel to the school construction program and member of the Working Group. “Additional funding, coupled with legislative changes, will provide the SCC with the necessary resources to continue the process of building first-rate school facilities for our children.�

The Working Group continues to recommend that support for the additional funding be conditioned upon substantial legislative changes to the EFCFA that will address the five core issues of program governance, land acquisition, the project approval process, project delivery, and increasing the role and accountability of school districts.

“Among the most significant reforms recommended in this report were those of the Prioritization Task Force,� said Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy. “The SCC process initiated in 2003 was a first-come, first-served free-for-all: Districts that had plans and land ready to go got their money first. We are glad to see that that situation will change.�

Moving forward, the Working Group will assist the SCC and Department of Education in the development and application of the prioritization methodology for the SCC’s strategic plan. The methodology will serve as a dynamic guide to sequencing projects, and not a strict formula.

On February 7, Governor Corzine signed an Executive Order that, in part, created a working group to oversee a full review of the school construction program and recommend reforms.

The report can be accessed online at http://www.state.nj.us/governor/.

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